Blues, Blackhawks get veteran centers

The St. Louis Blues lured Paul Stastny away from division rival Colorado, signing the veteran center to a four-year, $28 million deal Tuesday.

Stastny has spent his entire career with the Avalanche after being picked in the second round of the 2005 draft.

He thrived under first-year coach Patrick Roy last season, scoring 25 goals as he helped the Avalanche overtake St. Louis for the Central Division crown and into the postseason for the first time since 2009-10.

The 28-year-old Stastny is a St. Louis native. His father, Hall of Famer Peter Stastny, and brother, Yan Stastny, are former Blues players. Paul and Peter Stastny will be the fifth father-son combination to have played for the Blues in franchise history.

“It’s a tough decision, (but) I was in a good position,” Stastny told the Blues’ website. “You almost have to take a step back and take all the emotions out of it and try to realize what’s best for me hockey-wise. Not just next year, but two or three or four years down the road.”

Blackhawks: Chicago filled its biggest offseason need when it signed Brad Richards to a one-year contract, bolstering its group of centers with an experienced scorer who has already won one Stanley Cup could fit in quite nicely on its talented lines.

Richards had 20 goals and 31 assists in 82 games for the New York Rangers last season, and then had 12 points in the playoffs to help his team make it to the Stanley Cup finals. The 34-year-old Richards has 276 goals and 591 assists in 982 career games for Tampa Bay, Dallas and New York.

The Rangers bought out his contract last month. He had six years remaining on the nine-year, $60 million deal he signed in 2011.

“He brings so many things to the table for us,” Chicago general manager Stan Bowman said. “He’s certainly got the experience and his leadership and I think his character off the ice is something that sometimes gets overlooked as the importance for us, but it’s really the whole package that we’re excited about.”

More free agents: Colorado found someone to score in Stastny’s place, picking up Jarome Iginla. Iginla was given a three-year, $16 million deal on Tuesday, his 37th birthday. The wing had 30 goals to tie for the most in Boston last season.

After trading away Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider, Vancouver gave goaltender Ryan Miller, who finished last season with the Blues, a three-year deal worth $18 million.

Washington signed defenseman Matt Niskanen to a seven-year, $40.25 million contract soon after sealing a $27.5 million, five-year deal with defenseman Brooks Orpik.